


Upon The Stair

by Warp5Complex_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-04-12
Updated: 2006-04-12
Packaged: 2018-08-15 17:56:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8067130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp5Complex_Archivist/pseuds/Warp5Complex_Archivist
Summary: Tucker makes some repairs as a favor and finds a bit more than he'd bargained for.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: Written for the Enterprise Ficathon Round 1.  


* * *

_Yesterday, upon the stair;_  
I saw a man who wasn't there.  
He wasn't there again today.  
How I wish he'd go away.  
-Hugh Mearns 

\--------------------------

"I think it suits you, Captain. I've always wanted to see you in an ascot."

"Trip."

"You look right out of a fairy tale."

"I'm warning you. If you say one more thing about these clothes, I'll make you come to the ball with me."

"Sorry, Prince Charming, Cinderella's got some work to do tonight." Tucker grinned as he opened the shuttlepod hatch. Several Policks were waiting around the landing pad in outfits similar to the one they'd sent Archer to wear in their extravagance and vivid arrays of color. The chancellor they'd met the night before approached Archer and tilted his head back. They'd been told when they had come down the night before that this was a sign of respect, kind of like bowing, so Archer followed suit. The crowd behind the chancellor made an appreciative trilling sound.

"It pleases me to see you again, Captain Archer," the chancellor said loudly over the noise. "You look quite grand in the formal attire. It was made by our finest tailors. I hope that you enjoy it."

"Very nice," Archer said, with a tight smile. Tucker had to press his lips together and clear his throat to keep from laughing.

\--------------------------

The chancellor had quickly sent Tucker off with one of the local engineers to work on the computer, a young Polick named Payl. Payl seemed to be young, with narrow features and the same frilly, colorful clothing that the others had been wearing.

"Your race is called Human, is it not?"

"It is," Tucker said. "Or Terran or pink-skin, depending on who you ask. Don't recommend pink-skin, though."

Payl arched an eyebrow. "Ah." He glanced down at Tucker's tool kit. "We have our own tools, you realize."

"I'm more familiar with these, so I thought: why not bring them?"

"That's probably wise." Payl was quiet for another long moment, but he kept his eyes on Tucker.

Tucker shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Staring's probably not rude to them, he reminded himself. Still. "You want to ask me something?"

"I'm... I'm just curious," Payl said quietly. "I hope that you do not take offense, but do all of your kind dress in that manner?"

"Nah, this is a uniform," Tucker said, smiling. "When we're working, we want to wear utilitarian type clothes. So we don't get things caught or stained. That kind of thing."

"When your captain came before, he wore the same thing." He paused. "That must be horrible."

Tucker chuckled. "Not really. We're used to it."

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open to a long hall with red fabric lining the walls. Payl and Tucker began walking down the hall. "You've been familiarized with the structure of the computer, have you not?"

"Yep. Last time I was down here."

"Good, that will save us some time. There are five sectors of the city without power due to this problem, and the sooner we can fix that, the better." Payl stopped at a door and opened it for Tucker. "We appreciate your help, Commander."

"We appreciate the spare parts you loaned us," Tucker said with a nod as he entered the room. It looked like it was usually used as a bedroom. A giant structure stood along the west wall with three stacked mattresses, multi-colored blankets, and pillows bursting with feathers. By the east wall, there was a table and several chairs which appeared to be a kind of breakfast nook which had three skylights that let sunlight flood in and light the entire room along with a chandelier in the center of the ceiling.

Tucker set his kit down on the breakfast table and watched as Payl went to the south wall. Two panels lined the wall starting at shoulder level, one was half a foot tall and the one directly under it about a fourth that height. Payl pressed the top panel in and it slid up, revealing circuitry and screens. He then pulled the bottom panel out, revealing the controls and digital keypads. Tucker joined him, looking it over again. It was an interesting set up, to have an entire cities run by computer, and to have that computer's CPU running in the walls of the capital palace.

"Usually," Payl said, turning on the view screen, "the computer is able to fix itself. Our current power source is currently aging, however, and the new power source will not be fully prepared for a month yet, so we've been running into problems."

Trip squinted. He could see a few small problems here and there right away. A fused circuit, a cracked board. "How long have you been working on this?"

Payl frowned. "Ah, not much. That's why we are so happy that someone with your expertise and nature stopped by our planet. The great computer was built to allow us to pursue the arts and beauty and love. Science, engineering... things like that are left to the computer. We have little need for them. The power source only needs to be replaced every sixteen years, and it's quite a simple procedure once it is prepared."

"How'd you ever reach warp?"

"That was before the computer. We used to send out explorers, but we are very attached to our home world. They would become depressed, and often self-destructive. Our space program disintegrated years ago, but we welcome those from other worlds to see the beauty of our planet. Those few Policks who wish to leave go with the ships that pass through on business." Payl pointed at the screen. "Here it is. The computer believes that there is power in these three sectors when there isn't, so it doesn't know that it has a problem to fix. I know a little about the software, but I haven't been able to convince it that it needs to repair its hardware."

Tucker stood back for a moment, then headed back to get his tool kit. "All right, let's get to work. Maybe you'll learn something." He winked at a nervous looking Payl.

\--------------------------

Archer stalked down the hall toward his cabin. The food had been good, the company had been all right, the first contact had gone without a hitch, but his mind was focused on getting out of his frilly get-up and into his uniform before too many people saw him.

"Captain!"

He cringed and turned toward Reed's voice. He should have known better than to pass the armory. "This had better be important."

"Sir. Uh." Reed's eyes drifted along the ruffled sleeves of Archer's dress shirt.

"Yes?" Archer hissed.

"I'm sorry, sir. There were some problems while you were gone."

"What kind of problems?"

Reed took a deep breath, keeping his eyes locked above the lacy ascot on Archer's neck. Archer might be amused if he wasn't so irritated. "Various systems are partially or fully offline including weapons and engines. I would have contacted you sooner, but communications are--"

"Right. What about life support?"

"It's shown no ill affect."

"Do we have any idea what's causing this?"

"There appears to be some sort of interference from the planet, but aside from that, we can't tell if it's technological interference or natural."

Archer nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll be on the bridge shortly. In the meantime, do what you can to get weapons back online. Just in case these aren't innocent malfunctions.

Reed's eyes sparkled, and he headed back for the armory. Archer moved quickly for his cabin. He wasn't about to go onto the bridge in this outfit.

\--------------------------

Payl was a hard worker, but not a skilled one. He proved helpful enough, especially in helping Tucker understand the symbols on the keypad, but as the light from outside began to dim, it was clear that there was still plenty of work for Tucker to do and that Payl was no longer up to it. Tucker carefully brought up the topic of Payl getting some sleep. It didn't take much convincing, and soon, Payl was gone.

Tucker pushed a board back into place and checked the screen to see if the computer was responding. The map that he'd left on the screen was gone in favor of a text box.

The message was in English: Hello Stranger.

"Hello yourself," Tucker muttered to himself. He touched the key on the keypad that was supposed to clear the screen, but it didn't respond.

"Please wait..." the screen read. "I am realigning the keypad so that you will be able to respond in your language."

The keypad flickered off, then turned on again with the English alphabet.

"You may now respond."

Tucker blinked. Clearly, he thought, he'd fallen asleep in the middle of working. He'd had dreams about his engine on a fairly regular basis, including a few choice episodes in which it had transformed into a woman... More than once, these dreams had led him to a correct answer to some problem. Dream or not, Trip figured the best thing was to play along.

"Hello," Tucker typed into the reconfigured keypad. "Who is this?"

"No one."

"That doesn't seem too likely."

The screen went blank for a moment, then letters began to appear again. "You could say that I am the computer."

Tucker snorted to himself. "Right," he muttered. "Somebody's got to be hacked in."

"All right, Computer," he typed. "Your power's gone off in sectors seven, twelve, and twenty-three. Think you could turn it back on?"

"Yes."

"Well, could you do that, then? It'd sure save me some time."

"I turned them off so that someone like you would come. I knew the ones here could not have fixed it. Someone on the outside might care."

Tucker leaned back for a moment. What if this wasn't a dream or a hacker? He typed slowly. "Care about what?"

"I haven't seen a person in many years. I haven't felt wind or sunlight. They will not allow it. I am the lie that this utopia is built on."

Tucker's fingers hovered over the keypad. He raised one hand and pinched the other, then looked at the screen again. Nope. Not asleep.

"I don't understand," he typed.

"Visit me, and you will."

"Where do I go to visit you?"

"Someone is coming. Don't tell them about our conversation."

Tucker's heart jumped at the sound of the door opening behind him. He turned around in his seat. A Polick man was standing there.

"Payl sent me to assist you."

Tucker took a deep breath and nodded. "That'll, uh..." He looked down at the keypad. The English letters were gone, replaced by the Polick symbols. "That'll be fine," he answered, slowly.

\--------------------------

Archer looked expectantly at Sato. She shook her head. "It was working a moment ago."

"Keep trying, Ensign."

"I am, s-- Wait. There it is."

A moment later, Tucker's voice came from the comm station. "Tucker here."

"Trip, we're having some difficulties up here, I'd sure like to have my chief engineer back."

"Difficulties?"

 

"Engines are offline. Communications are more than a little shaky. Malcolm has our defenses and weapons available, but there's no telling how long he can sustain that. Are you about finished down there?"

The comm went quiet.

"Hoshi, is it down again?"

Tucker's voice, "No, sir, sorry. I was just thinking a minute. Could you give me tonight? Bring me back in the morning? I'm just got to finish up."

Archer exhaled through his nose.

"Captain," Tucker said. "I wouldn't be asking if there wasn't a good reason."

"I understand." Archer paused, thinking. "Our readings show that whatever's causing the malfunctions is coming from down there. See if you can find out if the source is the computer while you're working."

"Will do. Thanks, Boss."

Archer nodded to Sato, and she cut off Trip's communicator.

"See if you can get ahold of the chancellor. I'd like to have a word with him."

\--------------------------

"So, what's it like, living here?" Tucker asked. Payl was with him again, but the work was more delicate now and he was relegated to handing Trip whatever he asked for and participating in a little small talk.

"Wonderful," Payl answered immediately. "Our lives are perfect."

"Perfect, huh?" Tucker frowned. "Because of the computer?"

"In part, yes. It affords us the time to reflect upon the world. No one is forced to do a job they don't enjoy. There is no hard labor, there is no menial work."

Tucker glanced at him. "No one like me."

"I didn't mean that," Payl said, flushing.

"That's all right," Tucker said. "I love my job. And you guys'd be up a creek with out me."

Payl furrowed his brow. "Up a..."

"It's a Human expression, don't worry about it."

"Ah." Payl shifted his seated position and sighed.

Tucker arched an eyebrow. "If you need a break, I've pretty much got it covered here for a while. Don't think you'll want to stay up all night with me."

"A nap might be useful." Payl took a deep breath. "If you're certain."

"Certain as anything."

Payl stood slowly and stood there, looking at Tucker for a long moment. Tucker smiled at him, then went back to work, hoping that would convince him to leave. Finally, he was gone, and Tucker breathed a sign of relief. He turned his attention to the keypad and waited until the digital reading went from Polick to English.

"Hi there," he typed into the text window.

The screen flickered slightly, then words appeared. "You're still here. No one's communicated with me a second time before."

"So, you've done this before?"

"Yes. Many times."

"I guess I'm just the curious type," Tucker typed. "My captain says our ship's having some problems. That have anything to do with you?"

"I did not wish for you to leave."

"Wasn't planning to. But if you keep causing problems up there, Captain's going to get antsy and snatch me back up."

"I apologize. I cannot end the problems I have caused. However, the Policks will tow your ship out of range, and it will be fine. It is a short distance, they will still be able to retrieve you."

"So, you've done that part before too."

"Yes."

Tucker took a deep breath. "Why?"

For a long moment, the screen was blank. As if the computer were searching for the right words. "I have lived underground, in walls, under panels for nearly sixteen years. Before I go out, I wish to see the beauty of the outside one more time.

"I don't understand," Tucker typed, frowning. "You said you're the computer."

"In a sense."

"You're talking about yourself like you're a person."

Again, there was a pause. "I would like you to see me."

Tucker began to type, but a sound distracted him. A small, saucer shaped machine slid out from under the bed and stopped at Tucker's feet.

"It will lead you to me," the screen read.

Tucker looked down at the little machine. It whirred, then slid across the floor to the door.

"All right," Tucker said aloud. "But you'd better not be pulling my leg."

\--------------------------

The hallways under the palace were dark and twisting, in stark contrast to the bright, expansive hallways in the upper levels. The little machine hummed along ahead of him, moving just a couple feet ahead of him. The deeper they got, the more Tucker wished he'd brought along a phase pistol or something. Just in case.

That thought sounded a bit too much like Lieutenant Reed, so he pushed it away. Reed could keep his caution; Tucker liked being the adventurous one.

Finally, the machine came to a stop and turned toward a wall to Tucker's left. It was blank except for a small keypad. As he frowned at the keypad, the machine began to beep. He looked down at it.

"What?"

It spun around and began to beep again.

"Look, I don't understand what you're trying to tell me."

It continued to beep. He puffed out a breath and looked at the keypad again. The digital keys had changed to Arabic numbers, so he could read them, it was just that...

"Wait a minute," he muttered to himself. He listened to the machine's beeping. Three beeps, a pause, two beeps, a pause, five beeps, a pause. "You're trying to tell me some kind of password."

It spun around.

"Does that mean I'm right? Okay. Start at the beginning."

After a good fifteen minutes of listening carefully to the machine's code, the keypad flashed and turned off. Then, part of the wall next to the keypad slid aside, revealing a short passageway devoid of light. The machine whirred ahead of him, and he followed after, letting the dim light on the front of the thing lead the way. He nearly tripped over it when it stopped.

He squinted into the darkness, and slowly his eyes began to adjust. It took him a moment to realize exactly what he was seeing. There were walls of exposed circuitry and wires extending from those walls to something in the center. Tucker took a few careful steps toward it, side-stepping the cleaning machine on the floor. Finally, the image before him was clear enough to make out. Tucker's heart was in his throat.

It was a boy.

The wires were all connected to his head except for one, which looked like it might be some sort of feeding tube. He looked to be thirteen or fourteen, but his muscles were so atrophied that he could have been much older. Tucker reached forward and touched the side of the boy's face very carefully. His cheek twitched where Tucker touched him, but he didn't respond aside from that.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Tucker saw a screen flash on.

"Hello."

Tucker took a deep breath and went to the wall where the screen was.

"That's you?" he typed.

"Yes. My name was Cimth before they put me here."

Tucker swallowed. "My name's Trip."

"Hello, Trip. Thank you for coming here. Not many would. No one has touched me but my maintainer for years."

"Is that why you brought me here?"

"In part. But, I also wanted to ask a favor of you."

"Whatever you want."

The computer paused. Tucker listened to the sound of the cooling fans humming to his right.

"I will be finished soon, and they will replace me. I accept that. But they will use me until I am dead, and I wish to see the outside again. I wish to see the sky and the clouds. Please, take me out of here."

Tucker pressed his lips together. All of the problems with the request flooded him at once. The first contact would be unsuccessful, the Policks might have him killed for all he knew, and if they didn't, Archer might. Or, at least, be mad enough to.

But he turned his head and looked at the boy again, his bone-thin limbs hanging listlessly, his eyes closed. If the Policks wanted first contact, they'd have to know what Humans were about.

"I'll help you," Tucker typed. "Tell me what to do."

\--------------------------

"Captain."

Archer stood up from the desk in his cabin and pressed the comm button. "Archer. The comm system seems to be working again."

"All systems seem to be back online, sir," Sato said. "But, uh, I think you should come out here."

Archer furrowed his brow, but said "I'll be right there" and went to the bridge.

"What is it?"

T'Pol spoke. "It appears that all electrical power in the capital city has been deactivated."

"What happened."

"Unclear. Communications on the surface are down."

"Is that tow ship still on its way?" Archer asked.

"Our sensors read no ship in the immediate area."

Archer took a deep breath. "Get ahold of Trip."

Sato nodded. "I'm on it."

\--------------------------

Cimth wasn't heavy, only a little heavier than an infant, so it was easy enough for Tucker to carry him through the twisting, dark hallways. He would speak quietly to give Tucker directions--right at this corner, straight at that intersection--until they came to a staircase.

"Turn left. After three stories." Cimth spoke in short sentences. It seemed to be hard for him to breathe deeply enough to get out more. "There will be. A door."

Tucker nodded and headed up the stairs.

Cimth's eyes were barely open, showing only a slit of his black eyes under the paper white eyelids, but he looked at everything they passed. Sometimes, he gazed up at Tucker. Tucker thought Cimth might be looking at him closer than anyone had ever looked at him before.

"Not far now," Cimth whispered, as they approached the third story.

Tucker's legs were feeling wobbly underneath him, but he kept moving. The way Cimth had explained it to him, he didn't have long once he was disconnected from the computer. "It's worth it" the text on the screen had assured Tucker. He just hoped it was still worth it now.

Finally, they came to the third story and the door that Cimth had described. The door opened onto a small balcony that overlooked the border of the city. It was still dark, but the sun would rise soon.

"Closer to the edge," Cimth said. "You must see it. When the sun rises."

Cimth's eyes were wider now, as Tucker moved toward the railing of the balcony.

"Is this good?" Tucker asked.

"Yes." He smiled up at the sky. "I'd forgotten. About stars."

Tucker tried to think of a way to respond, but his communicator interupted him. He shifted Cimth's weight so that he could take it out.

"Tucker."

"Trip, what's going on down there?"

Cimth gazed quietly at the communicator.

"Uh. Well. I think you'd better come down here."

"The sunrise," Cimth urged, tugging weakly at Tucker's jumpsuit.

"What was that?" Archer asked.

"Just get down here, sir. I'll explain." He shut off his communicator and took a deep breath.

Cimth smiled up at him, then turned his head slowly to look out over the land below them.

"Look," Cimth said.

Tucker looked, and he felt his breath hitch. The first golden strands of light were appearing in the gray-violet sky. The border of the city was a low wall that captured the hue of the sky above and reflected it back. Beyond the wall was a forest of wildlife with the kind of vivid color Tucker had only seen in ancient expressionist paintings. As the stars faded, they were replaced by red and orange tinted clouds, extravagantly shaped as if they'd been embossed onto the sky.

"They tell me," Cinth began. "That this is why they need me. So no one has to leave." He took a sharp breath. "I just wanted... to see it again."

"You earned it," Tucker said. "You're the only one here who's earned it."

They were quiet, then. Tucker watched with Cimth as the sky turned from violet to blue to blue-gold.

\--------------------------

Archer believed the Policks when they said they hadn't used the prison in decades, but the prison itself showed little sign of decay. Like everything else he'd come across, it was designed like a king lived there. The chancellor and the designated guard (Archer suspected that they'd simply chosen the largest Polick they could find) led Archer and Reed down the hall to a cell at the far end.

There, Tucker sat on a padded bench with his elbows on his knees and his hands clenched together.

"Commander Tucker?"

Tucker looked up at Archer, then looked away.

"The Policks explained what you did to me, but I'm curious as to why."

"Did they?" Tucker snorted. "They tell you I destroyed their power source?"

Archer nodded.

"They tell you their power source was a person? A little boy? They tell you he asked me to take him outside for a few minutes?"

Archer furrowed his brow, then looked at the chancellor. The chancellor drew in a deep breath. "Captain. Your engineer will be returned to you unharmed. Despite the fact that he has put an entire city in jeopardy through his foolish and ignorant actions. Mercy is one of the virtues our way of life affords us. Perhaps one day, your way of life will afford you acceptance."

"Mercy to who?" Tucker stood up. "Everyone except your 'power source?' That doesn't make--"

"Trip," Archer snapped.

"Captain, if you'd been here--"

"That's enough."

Tucker pressed his lips closed, but his eyes were still fierce. Archer turned to the chancellor.

"I want to apologize. If I had any idea what he was doing..."

"Captain, we do not fault you for your engineer. However, I would appreciate it if you and your crew would not return to Polick."

Archer nodded tersely. "Understood."

The chancellor made a gesture and the guard opened the cell door. Tucker walked out, his eyes still on Archer.

Tucker was silent in the shuttlepod and silent when Archer dismissed Reed once they were in the bay.

"Explain it to me," Archer said with his arms crossed.

"He contacted me." Trip said. "I answered. He asked for help. I helped."

"How do you think Starfleet command's going to take that, Trip? How do you think I'm going to take it?"

Tucker shrugged. "It's what happened."

Archer looked away, frowning in thought. "You're not going near any missions of this kind. If you have to have contact with any species aside from Vulcans, you're going to have at least two people looking over your shoulder. You understand that?"

"Yes, sir," Tucker said. He stood up. "Can I go?"

"Yeah."

He watched Tucker head for the hatch, then let out the breath he'd been holding. "Trip?"

Tucker turned just enough for Archer to see his profile.

"I didn't say I thought you did the wrong thing."

"I know I did the right thing," Tucker said. "He died in the sunlight instead of in a dark room."

"You should have talked to me first."

Tucker swallowed, then he turned away and left the shuttlepod.


End file.
